Intel demos 65nm dual-core mobile CPU

'Yonah' taken for a spin

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Intel has shown off its dual-core, 65nm 'Yonah' mobile processor, but don't expect it to ship until 2006, the chip giant said.

That could be seen as a slippage of the processor's release schedule, but since recent roadmaps have the part down for a very late 2005 introduction, a slide into 2006 shouldn't come as any great surprise. Doubly so, since Yonah is expected to be fabbed using the next generation of process technology.

Last month, Stat/MDR analyst Jim McGregor, claimed Intel had "quietly pushed out manufacturing on 65nm [to] 2006". What McGregor called "challenging industry conditions" could see the process' ramp fall back to "mid-2006 or later".

At the time, an Intel spokeswoman denied the allegation: "We did not push out our roadmap. Our 65nm process technology will be ready in 2005. High-volume products will ship in 2006." That essentially means limited quantities of silicon in 2005, enough to record revenue from it, with the chip itself being formally launched in 2006 just after it goes into mass-production.

Yonah is believed to be based on a pair of Dothan cores. It will form part of 'Napa', the third generation Centrino, with the 'Callistoga' chipset and the 'Golan' WLAN adaptor. The latter will add WiMAX and 3G support, Intel has suggested. Callistoga will essentially update the upcoming 'Alviso' chipset family - aka 915PM and 915GM - with a more powerful integrated graphics engine. Alviso is already shipping in limited quantities ahead of its formal introduction early next month.

Yonah won't be Intel's first dual-core CPU - the desktop-oriented 'Smithfield' is expected to grab that honour next summer. But it will be the chip giant's first 65nm processor. What speeds and feeds the part will support are not known, and were not mentioned at the analysts' meeting at which the chip's early silicon was previewed. ®